Safety appliance for elevators.



J. D. COUTURE.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

v APPLICATION FILED APR- 21, 1915. 1,172,675.

3 SHEETSSHEET l- INVEN TOR Jbseph Z7. COLdUIG Tm; COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c

J. D. COUTURE.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 21. 1915.

ATTORNEY INVENTOR Patented Feb. 22,1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2 J. D. COUTURE.

SAF ETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.21, 1915.

1,172,675. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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THE COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. D. c.

uNrrED srarns PATENT orricn.

JOSEPH Di-cocrunn, or s'rnnrronnconnncrrour;

SAFETY APPLIANCE FORZELEVATORS.

Application fi1ed Apri121, 1915. Serial No. 22,796.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JOSEPH D. COUTURE. a citizen of'the United States, residing at the town of Stratfor d, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Safety Ape pliances'for Elevators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to safety appliances for elevators, and has for its object to equip an elevator with-automatically operating devices for stopping the movement of the elevator car should the latter strike an obstruction projecting either above or below the car into the elevator well or hoistway.

Primarily, the invention contemplates a collapsible bar that may extend either above or below the elevator, so that when this bar comes in contact with, any obstruction, as when a personshead or other part of his body" projects into thehoistway, the bar striking such obstruction will readily collapse and therebv bring into operation certain instrumentalities which will operate'to insantly stop the elevator car.

This improvement is applicable, whether the elevator is.run bylelectricityor by bydraulic power, since thedevicesbrought into operation by the collapsing of the bar will instantly open a switch that is'inthe main circuit and will at the same time cause the check rope or cable to be firmly gripped, thus doubly insuring the stopping of the elevator car. Y j a Q In the accompanying drawings which form a part of'this application Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken and. sectioned, of an elevator car equipped with my improvementFig. 2 a plan view broken away of the structure shown in Fig. l-Fig. 3 is a detail broken sectional elevation of :the operative parts carried by the ele ator car, taken generally on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1- Fig. 1 is a detail broken view of one lower corner portion of the elevator car with the operative parts shown in dotted lines, this view showing particularly the manner in which the parts are housed-Fig. 5 is an edge elevation of the parts shown at Fig. 1Fig. 6 is a section, at the, line 66 of Fig; 8, but showing the gripping elements embracing the check rope or cableFig. 7 is a detail elevation of the sheave pulleyfwhich Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Feb; 22,191

operates to wind the chain andiopen the sw1tchFig. 8 is a section at the line88 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a broken sectional so 7 front elevation showing the' elevator car equipped with my improvement both at the top and bottom.

. Similar numerals of reference denote like parts inthe several figures of the drawing. 1 represents the side walls of anelevator car and 2 the floor thereof.

Referring to Figszl and2, the of the A elevator is omitted for sake of clearnessin illustration.

' 3 isan elongated bar suspended below the floor of the elevator by means of chains l, and rigidly secured to said bar near the ends thereof are vertical rods 5 which project upwardly within tubular guides 6' that are fixed to the elevator car in any suitable manner.

Secured to the rodsv 5within the 6 are rack bars 7, and meshing withthese rack bars are rotary p1n1ons 8 which are ]our. naled between cheek, plates 9 that are secured to the floor of the elevator car in any suitable manner.- These pinions 'Sin turn mesh with pinions 10 which. latter, are

mounted on a shaft 11 that'is supported frornthe. bottom 'of the car, and.v likewise mounted on this shaft 11 at one end thereof is a sheave pulley 12:. V R i The elevator ca'ris'equipped at each side as they appear at one side ofthefcar while with these rack bars and pinions, I and at-j Fig. 3 Ihave illustrated in detail theseparts at Fig. 4: I have simply shown the parts at I the other side of the'car indot ted lines.

Theobject of having therods 5, the rack bars, and" the'pinions abovereferred to at both sides of the elevator is in order to provide asbetter balanced construction whereby the shaft 11 canbe revolvedwithout any strain or binding; a

j Secured to the pulley 12 is av chain or equiva-.

lent 13 which leads around an idle pulley 14k carried by the elevator car and is connected to a switch lever 15, as shown at Fig. 3.

within convenient reach ofthe operator and -This switchlever is placed within the car.

is located in the mainelectrical circuit that would control the operation of the elevator in case the same was operated byelectricity. From the foregoing itwill be understood that the upward movement of the rack bars willeffect the turning of the shaft 11 thereby causing the pulley 12-to' operate 'QQ Wind the chain around the face of such pulley and this Wlli, of course, causethe chainto exert apull on the switch lever 15 thereby opening the circuit and causing the elevator tlier'ein with Whi'clraaveighted detent pawl 22- entrag'es, this pawl having an' upwardly extending arm 23 which projects" through the floor of tlie'elevator car. On'the upward movement'of the racks, as above set forth, not only Will the electrical circuit be openedbut the bar 1'9 will be driven, by the pinion'S, very firmly'against the-check rope 16 sothat the latter Will be firmly gripped between the grip bars 18, 19, thereby effectingthe-stopping of the elevator.

A detent 22 prevents the grip bar 19fro1n relaxing itsgrip against the check rope,

andin' order to release the bar l9'the op; erator merely thrustshis foot'against the arm 23 thus raisingithe detent out ofc'ontact Withthe ratchet teeth 21'.

Should any portion ofa pe'r's'onls body be accidentally projected iwithin the hoistway'of the elevator car, the latteriivould be instantly arrested in its descent bythe impact of the bar 3 against the'obstructi'on,

because just assoon, asthe bar hits the object projected into the hoist/Way it-Would collapse thereby throwing'the rack bars 7 upWard-lyand eficting the operations hereinbefore" described. I

Secured to the shaft 11 are cranks 24:, 25, and when the shaft has been turned in the manner above described by the operation of the racks and pinio'ns the crankfi Will strike against the bottoni'of the elevator car, and it will be necessary, in order to start the car again, for the operator to grasp the othercrank 25 and operate it to reverse the movement of the shaft ll so as to restore all the parts to normal position;

This invention as heretofore described relates to the application of the safety bar beneath the elevator car, but, referring to Fig. 9. I have shown a bar 26 which is held spaced away from thetop of the elevator by means of a chain 27 one end of'which'is secured to the bar and passed around suitable pulleys 253,29, 'j ourna'led' Within a bracket 30 that is seeured' to an upright arm 31 that is fixed to the top of the elevator, the other end of this chain depending and being' connected to the rod 5. It will, of course, be understood that this construction is duplicated at the other side of the ele vator inorder that the bar may be Well. balanced and be capable of ready operation, If there is an obstruction projecting Within the hoistWay of the elevator during the ascent ofthe latter the bar-:26 will strike this obstruction and v will thereby pull the rack ba'rlsl'? upwardly an'deiiect the stopping o'f'the elevator in the manner herein-y before described.

In order to make the bars very sensitive. so that they 'wiltcollapse readily I secure chains 32 to the ends of bar 3 and pass these'chai'ns over idlefpulleys 33 that are lined to the bottom of the elevator ear, and

then carry the chains down over'a pair of idle pulleys 34 that are fixed to the bottom a of the car and suspend a counterpo'ise from the ends of the chains.

The use of w this'counterpoise facilitates the readycollapsingi of bars both above and below the elevator car.

It lsevident from the foregoing descriptlon that this lnventlon may be embodied in sexreralfforins,'and it Will be further evident that the chains 4 are not at all necessary,

and it"will be, of course, understood that certain changes and variations may be made m" the structure Without departing fromrthe inventidn, -thelgist :otwhi'ch resides in the broad idea.:of the collapsible bar normally spaced from the elevator car and s0 connected With certain elements that controltthe movements of th'ecar that the collapsing of the bar will bring about: the-results hereinbeit'ore set forth,

Having :thus described my I claim; as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is z,

1 A safet' a liance for elevators 1 6 1 F or re,

prising a'horizontal bar suspended fr'o'mcthe car and spaced therefrom but capable of ins dependent vertical movements, vertically disposed guided racksrigid with said bar;- pinicns carried iby t'he car in meshing 611-:

gagement With said "racks," and connections geared to said pinions and interposed ihetween the latter and'the devicesxvhich con-v trol the movements of the car whereby the rotation of thepinions Will effect the stop-, page of the car.

Asafety appliance for elevators, com pr smg a bar suspended beneath the elevator car and carried therebyand capable ofverti'cal movements guided vertical rack carryin'g rods rigid iwith said'bar and projecting upwardly therefrom, rotary pinions carried by the car and in mesh Withsaidraeks, and means carried by the car and gearedto stoptheear,

invention What with said pinions and operated by thelatter 3. A safety appliance for elevators, com prising an elevator car, a bar carried thereby,flexible means for normally, securing the bar in spaced relation to the elevator car prising a bar suspended beneath the elevator car and carried thereby and capable of vertical movements, guided vertical rack carrying rods rigid with said bar and projecting upwardly therefrom, rotary pinions carried by the car and in mesh with said racks, devices carried by the car and capable of operation to stop the movement of the car, and instrumentalities geared with said pinions and carried by the car intermediate said pinions and devices for causing the latter to operate and stop the car when the pinions are rotated by the racks.

5. In a safetyappliance for elevators, the combination with a car carrying rack guides, a bar carried by the car and normally spaced from the latter but capable of racks within said guides, pinions carriedv by the independent vertical movements,

car and engaged by said racks, rods rigid with said bar and adapted to operate said racks to revolve said pinions'when said bar strikes an obstruction and is. moved toward the car, and means carried by the car and geared with said pinions for operation thereby for stopping the car. 7

6. A safety appliance for electrically controlled elevators, comprising a bar suspended beneath the elevator car and capable of vertical movements, guided vertical rack carrying rods rigid with said bar and projecting upwardly therefrom, rotary-pinions carried by the car and in mesh with said racks, a rotary shaft carried by the car below the bottom thereof, a sheave pulley and pinions carried by said shaft which pinions are in mesh with the aforesaid rotary pinions, a switch lever in the main electrical circuit that controls the movements of the elevator, said lever operable to open and close the circuit, and connections between said pulley and switch lever whereby the rotation of the pulley will throw said lever to open the circuit.

7. A safety appliance for elevators, comprising a bar suspended beneath the elevator car and capable of vertical movements, guided vertical rack carrying rods rigid with said bar and projecting upwardly therefronnrotaryvpinions carried by the car and car.

in mesh with said racks, a check cable for controlling the movements of the elevator,

grip bars fixed in proximity to said cable,

a slidable' grip bar carrying a rack in mesh withlone of said pinions said bar also having' ratchet teeth on its upper face, and a, .detent engaging sald teeth and having an arm whichprojects through the floor of the I 8. A safetyappliance'for elevators,comprising a bar suspended beneath the elevator car and capable of vertical movements,

guided vertical rack carrying rods rigid, with said bar and projecting upwardly and in mesh with said racks, a rotary shaft carried by the car below the bottom thereof, av sheave pulley and pinions carried by said aforesaid rotary pinions, an electric switch lever operable to open and closean electric circuit, connections between said pulley and switch lever whereby the rotation of the pulley will throw said lever to open the cirtherefrom, rotary pinions carried by the car 7 shaft which pinions are in mesh with the cuit, a check cable for controlling movements of the elevator, grip bars fixed in proximity to said cable, a slidable grip bar having a rack on its under surface and ratchet teeth on its top-surfacewhich rack V is in mesh with one of the first mentio-ned pinions, and a pivoted detent engaging said teeth and having an armiprojecting through the "car fiooraccessible to the operator, whereby the upward move- 7 j ment of said vertical rods will effect the neously cause the slidable grip bar to be impinged against the check cable.

9. A-safety appliance for elevators comprising a bar carried by the elevator car for independent vertical movement, a pinion operable by the bar, and acar stopping mechanism including a rack element meshing with the pinion and provided with ratchet teeth, and a pawl engaging with the ratchet teeth of the rack element to retain the latter in a position to which it has been moved by-the pinion. I I

' 10. A safety appliance for elevators'comprising a bar suspended beneath the elevator car and capable of vertical movements, ashaft journaled on the car, pinions fixed on the shaft and operable by the bar, means operable by the shaft for stopping the car, and adjusable cranks on the shaft adapted to abut the car to limit the rotation ,ofthe co ies of this patent may be obtained fo five cents lt y addressing the Commi ioner 'of Patents, i wa hi t n c o JOSEPH D. COUTURE. 

